Baez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Guardians.
Baez's second-inning blast against Cleveland starter Gavin Williams provided all the offense in the game for both teams. It was just the second long ball of the season for the shortstop, who has been scuffling mightily with a .177 average and .460 OPS. As further evidence of his current status, Baez batted ninth for the Tigers. It's not what you'd expect from a $140 million player, and Baez doesn't warrant fantasy attention until he can display a sustained level of positive performance, which doesn't seem likely this year.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Not in Tuesday's lineup
Rotowire
Baez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game at Cleveland, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Baez started the previous three games after missing a couple contests due to a back injury, and he'll sit Tuesday while in the midst of a 6-for-48 slump. Zach McKinstry will start at shortstop and bat eighth for Detroit.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Back in action Saturday
Rotowire
Baez (back) will start at shortstop and bat seventh Saturday against the Blue Jays.
A back issue forced Baez out of last Saturday's game against the Dodgers and kept him out of the lineup through Friday, but the worst of it appears to be behind him. The 31-year-old finished the first half of the season with a career-worst .459 OPS through 214 plate appearances, though he remains locked in as Detroit's primary shortstop.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Remains out of Detroit lineup
Rotowire
Baez (back) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game in Toronto.
Baez missed the final contest before the All-Star break, and the time off wasn't enough to get him back in the lineup. The Tigers had expressed optimism earlier this week that Baez could avoid the injured list, but it's not a good sign that five days of rest was insufficient. Zach McKinstry will handle shortstop Friday.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Could avoid IL stint
Rotowire
Baez (back) is not currently slated to be placed on the injured list, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Baez isn't starting Sunday against the Dodgers after being removed early from Saturday's contest due to a lower-back injury. He's available only in an emergency situation Sunday, per Jason Beck of MLB.com. However, manager A.J. Hinch described Baez's outlook as "encouraging" and said that the veteran infielder is in better spirits, and it appears that he may be good to go when play resumes Friday following the All-Star break.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Out of lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Baez (back) isn't in Sunday's starling lineup versus the Dodgers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Baez was lifted early from Saturday's extra-inning win due to a lower-back injury, and he won't start Sunday's final game before the All-Star break. In his place, Zach McKinstry is starting at shortstop and batting seventh. If Baez doesn't enter off the bench Sunday, he'll have until Detroit's next game -- July 19 in Toronto -- to recover.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Dealing with back injury
Rotowire
Baez was removed from Saturday's game against the Dodgers due to a lower-back injury, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Baez reportedly had no problems playing in the field, though his back prevented him from feeling comfortable while hitting. There's no telling if he'll be available for Sunday's series finale, but the Tigers may take a cautious approach and sit him down heading into the break.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Hitting bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Baez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.
After coming off the 10-day injured list Monday, Baez started at shortstop in both of the first two contests of the series, going 1-for-6 with a double between the two contests. Though he's expected to see the bulk of the starts at shortstop now that he's healthy again, Baez will give way Wednesday to utility man Zach McKinstry.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Activated, starting Monday
Rotowire
The Tigers reinstated Baez (back) from the 10-day injured list Monday. He'll start at shortstop and bat seventh in the Tigers' series opener versus the Guardians.
Detroit optioned infielder Ryan Kreidler to Triple-A Toledo to clear room on the 26-man active roster for Baez, who missed a month of action while recovering from lumbar spine inflammation. Baez proved his health while playing in rehab games with Toledo on four consecutive days last week and will immediately step back into an everyday role in the middle infield for Detroit. Before landing on the shelf, Baez had been among baseball's least productive regulars, accruing a .183/.209/.247 slash line with one home run and six stolen bases over 53 games. Despite his reputation and past production, the 31-year-old looks to be little more than an accumulator -- and a low-end one, at that -- rather than a true fantasy asset at this stage of his career.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Activation expected Monday
Rotowire
Baez (back) has joined the Tigers at Comerica Park and is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list prior to Monday's game versus the Guardians, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Baez recently played four rehab games with Triple-A Toledo, going 4-for-12 with a home run. The veteran shortstop has been sidelined since mid-June with lumbar spine inflammation and had turned in an ugly .183/.209/.247 batting line over 196 plate appearances prior to landing on the IL.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Launches rehab assignment
Rotowire
Baez (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.
Baez has been out since June 11 while dealing with lumbar inflammation, but he now appears to be on the cusp of returning to the major-league roster. The shortstop will likely play in multiple games with Toledo before being activated from the 10-day injured list. Baez has struggled to a .183/.209/.247 slash line with one home run, 25 RBI, 15 runs scored and six stolen bases over 53 games this season, not providing much value to fantasy managers.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: On cusp of rehab assignment
Rotowire
Baez (back) is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Monday, Joe Reedy of the Associated Press reports.
Manager A.J. Hinch had previously said June 25 that Baez wasn't on track to return from the 10-day injured list before the Tigers' ongoing road trip concludes July 7, but the veteran shortstop looks like he could be an option to play during the final week before the All-Star break. The Tigers will likely wait and see how Baez responds to at least a few rehab games with Toledo this week before determining his next steps. Baez had produced a career-worst .456 OPS over 196 plate appearances before being placed on the IL on June 11 with lumbar spine inflammation.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Not close to IL return
Rotowire
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Baez (back) won't be activated from the 10-day injured list before the end of the team's road trip July 7, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Baez became eligible to return from the IL on June 19, but Hinch noted that the shortstop will miss the upcoming 10-game road trip and requires an "extensive" rehab assignment prior to being activated. Given Hinch's comments, Baez seems likely to remain out through the All-Star break. Zach McKinstry and Ryan Kreidler have been splitting time at shortstop since Baez was placed on the IL.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Will be out beyond minimum 10 days
Rotowire
Baez (spine) is without a precise timeline to return from the injured list, but the Tigers are preparing for him to miss more than the minimum 10 days, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Baez's stint on the IL is retroactive to June 9, making him eligible for activation at any point after Tuesday. However, the Tigers don't seem eager to rush Baez back from lumbar spine inflammation, especially after the shortstop had dealt with back pain for much of last season. Baez visited a doctor in Florida this past weekend and received an injection in his back to alleviate the inflammation, and the shot appears to have taken the desired effect since he began participating in light hitting drills Tuesday, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Zach McKinstry and Ryan Kreidler have formed a platoon at shortstop since Baez went on the shelf.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Receives injection for back
Rotowire
Baez received an injection to treat lumbar spine inflammation Friday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Baez was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to his back injury. He will be re-evaluated early next week before potentially resuming baseball activities. Prior to landing on the IL, the 31-year-old shortstop was slashing .183/.209/.247 with nine doubles, one home run and 25 RBI over 196 plate appearances.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Placed on IL with back injury
Rotowire
The Tigers placed Baez on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with lumbar spine inflammation, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Baez has evidently been bothered by the back issue off and on all season and is headed to Florida to meet with a doctor. He's expected to be out more than the minimum 10 days, though a clearer picture regarding his timetable could be available after the exam. Zach McKinstry and Ryan Kreidler are expected to share duties at shortstop while Baez is on the shelf.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Not starting Sunday
Rotowire
Baez is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Brewers.
Baez will begin Sunday's game in the dugout after starting in each of the first two games of the series, going 1-for-7 with two strikeouts. The lefty-hitting Zach McKinstry will start at shortstop and bat seventh against Milwaukee right-hander Bryse Wilson.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Sitting on bench Tuesday
Rotowire
Baez is not in the Tigers' lineup Tuesday versus the Rangers.
In the last 10 games, Baez is hitting just .108 (4-for-37). Amidst the slump, the shortstop will take a seat with Zach McKinstry starting in his place and batting sixth Tuesday.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Slump continues Saturday
Rotowire
Baez went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Red Sox, dropping his season batting average to .190.
It looked like Baez was maybe turning things around when he recorded seven hits across two games on May 17 and 18. However, he's gone just 4-for-33 in nine games since then, and he's hitless over his last three contests. The shortstop's .190 average would be his worst since he batted .169 across 52 games as a 21-year-old rookie back in 2014. Baez's time in Detroit has been disastrous so far, and it doesn't appear it'll get much better anytime soon.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Idle Friday
Rotowire
Baez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Red Sox.
Baez is 1-for-15 across his last four starts and will give way to Zach McKinstry on Friday. McKinstry will bat eighth and play shortstop with Tanner Houck on the bump for Boston.
